I wonder what percent of the 99 support the movement that has claimed to represent the 99%. It would take a majority for change to take place, and the only answer to their movement is civil disobedience. Refuse to pay your taxes this year, and continue to refuse until your demands are met.And refuse to pay your credit cards. Refuse to live your life on interest, where the money you used has less value then the money you spend, and where it is assumed that it will cost you 4% more next year than it costs you to live the way you are right now.
It didn’t take much for me to side with the Occupy movement. I didn’t even understand their proposed solution in the beginning, only recently coming to understand that they didn’t really have one in the beginning. But I am slowly coming to get a grasp of what this Occupy movement is all about, and why it is such a nuisance to the natural order of cities, especially the parts preserved in the face of a concrete jungle as places for public gathering – our parks.
I was surprised to find that I’m not alone in this dilemma of thinking I understand, not sure if I do, and hoping not to sound like a fool when offering up opinions, solutions, support, or criticism. A recent article on the New York Times on Who Is Occupy Wall Street is a great example of how people on both sides of the fence – those who deliver information and those who consume it and help spread it through social channels – are confused as to what to think and how to react to the many protests that have risen as a result of Occupy Wall Street.
I’ll throw in my conclusion – that the Occupy Movement is a social consciousness that much is lost to economy and politics that could otherwise have gone to humanity.
We don’t support the wars. Self-servitude and its abuses are not punished fairly. And that there is such a thing as “too much.” We’re tired of consuming goods and hours perpetuating a competitive system – forced in a race we don’t see the point of having – while our earthy-selves are being consumed by the greed and power struggles of a few.
And how did we come to realize that we had this common struggle?
Media. At first, our ability to be on the ground and broadcast what was happening in other parts of the world as they suffered from one disaster to another made us care more, if even for a day or a week or a month; enough to donate some money and organize some relief, to create bumper stickers and symbols for, to say prayers of support or create banners for. And later, social media, that not only overcame government censorship, but overthrew governments. So powerful, London assumed power over it, able to shut it down when it felt its security was at risk.
The media sought and possibly still seeks to understand it. We the people have turned it into what it really is – a realization that we are doing something wrong, that things don’t make sense, that the system has a flaw. It’s about money and not humanity. It is about progress and not happiness. At first those images and quotes made me feel the Occupy Movement had lost its way. But I’ve come to realize that it is just starting to find it. People are expressing a realization, each in their own way. And that realization will lead to greater understanding, and in time, for more people to stand up.
People are connected. We are able to break down the walls that divided us. We are able to overcome differences and turn ideas into unified action because the tools are there. Our facebooks and twitters and YouTubes and Flickrs and blogs. Our mobile computers. And there are those who fear it and try to govern it. Remember this?
Riots in London – Social Media Censorship
Who are we angry at? Our governments.Think about how Occupy Wall Street got its start. The old plight was the separation of Church and State. The battle is now to separate Capitalism and State – where decisions of our civilization are made by the people and for the people, and not by the corporations for the corporations.
We feel there is no fair accountability. We feel that money is spent to advance and forfeited to industry. That capitalism’s flaw is that it requires feud and war; requires control and an economic cast system.
There is only one solution to all this. If you want to turn the system on its head overnight – if you want to shake things up now and not wage a 100 year political war – you stand up as the 99 in civil disobedience. You refuse to pay taxes. You refuse to pay interest on your life. You refuse to pay the credit cards. You refuse to support a system that is failing you. You demand the right to your own money, interest free.
What would happen if 99% of the country simply refused to file taxes this year? Why wage war on law enforcement. It’s fighting based on an old system.
“The antiglobalization movement was the first step on the road. Back then our model was to attack the system like a pack of wolves. There was an alpha male, a wolf who led the pack, and those who followed behind. Now the model has evolved. Today we are one big swarm of people.”
— Raimundo Viejo, Pompeu Fabra University
Barcelona, Spain
But we’re fighting the old system. To do so we must no longer fight within that system.
If you think the Occupy Movement is any different than other revolutions, then you’re wrong. The American Revolution had it’s Tea Party which led to the establishment of the Society of Cincinnati. Cuba had Che Guevarra. India had Gandhi. France has gone through how many?IN each case, we’re talking Civil Disobedience. You think the rebels still filed their taxes?
We’re tired of chasing after a dream. We’re tired of paying interest on our lives. We’re tired of apologizing for our governments. We’ve decided to Occupy Earth, and take control of our own lives.
How? Heck if I know. I’m no politician…but if we want the governments attention and help, we may as well stop paying them until they start listening to us. Civil Disobedience. If we win, we will have ushered a new age. Otherwise, this will be no more than another hippie movement, where we changed the world, yet find ourselves here again today.
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James Watson tends to do things because he enjoys them, and those passions have led him to being a world traveler and photographer who happens to being an exceptions business strategist and digital marketing consultant.
